Abstract

ABSTRACT

Background

Dementia is a significant health and social care issue. There are currently 700,000 people with dementia in the United Kingdom and this number is expected to double in thirty years. Caring for a person with dementia can be extremely challenging due to the nature of the disease. Informal carers are fundamentally important for people with dementia, often allowing them to maintain their independence in the community. However carers are often old and frail themselves and need help and support to allow them to remain in their caring role. There are currently services and provisions available to support carers but these are not being utilised fully.

Aim

To examine informal carers’ view and experiences of health and social care services provided to people living with dementia to gain an understanding of why current services are not utilised fully.

Method

A systematic review was undertaken to discover both quantitative and qualitative evidence regarding dementia care services. Precise selection criteria led to ten studies being included in this review. Data was extracted from the studies using a data extraction form, and the studies were critically appraised using a methodological quality assessment tool.

Results

Overall carers in this review regarded dementia services, where they were received, as either good or satisfactory. However on closer examination it was evident that many problems exist. Lack of diagnosis, lack of awareness of available services and how to access these, concerns over the standards of services and barriers to service use were all identified as reasons for a low uptake of services.

Conclusions

Changes to dementia services are required to provide better support for people with dementia and their carers. This will consequently reduce the burden of caring and improve the quality of life for both.